The latest title in the series, "Tekken 8," released by Namco Bandai Entertainment Inc. on January 26, 2024 (Friday), has already received great acclaim around the world for its AI ghosting function that utilizes artificial intelligence, customizable playable characters, and other features that allow players to enjoy the game in a variety of ways. The game has already been well received around the world. We interviewed Tekken Project Chief Director Katsuhiro Harada and Producer Michael Muray at the Taipei Game Show 2024! We asked them about the upcoming storyline, why Paul's hairstyle changed, the new character "Rena," and more!
Interview with D. Harada and Michael P. of "Tekken 8"!
*Includes questions from non-SaigaNAK editors as this is a joint media interview
Q. What did you think of the Taipei Game Show 2024?
Michael P: I've spent more than half of my life in Japan, but the atmosphere of the Taipei Game Show, from the games to the music to the cosplay, was so close to Japan that I thought, "I'm in Japan right now! I was surprised at how close to Japan the atmosphere at the Taipei Game Show was.
Harada D: I have been to many parts of the world, including Taipei, many times, and I have been treated well by game enthusiasts everywhere I go, so my impression is very good. I have never had a bad experience, and everyone gives us delicious food. (laughs) I have been coming to Taipei for almost 30 years, and there are many kind and gentle people there, even those who don't know me.
Q. There are some passionate fighting gamer fans in Taiwan, including GamerBee, how do you feel about the enthusiasm for Tekken?
Michael P: Surprisingly, we haven't had a lot of interaction with Taiwanese players at EVO and other events, but when I talk to them at game shows like this, I can tell that they are looking forward to playing Tekken 8, so I hope that more people will play.
Harada D: In terms of the community as a whole, I feel that there are many shy people in Asia, including Japanese. I can feel their passion when I meet them in person, but this is not a good or bad thing; there are clearly regional differences. When I go to South America or Europe, I get photos of people shoulder to shoulder, or I get kissed in France, etc. (laughs)
Michael P: I would like to get to know you better. Please send me a message on my X account (@mykeryu ), even if it's in Chinese!
Q. With "Tekken 8," it seems that the Mishima family conflict has been settled. How will the story of the "Tekken" series develop in the future?
D.: The storyline up to the present was conceived more than 20 years ago, and we have finally recovered what we explained to Mr. Masaya Nakamura, the founder of Namco at the time. I'm thinking of new developments from here, but I don't know when the next one will be. When we created "Tekken 7," we thought we would release the next game in about two years, but it became too popular and the project took a long time. I think it will take a little more time before we can say what will happen with "Tekken 8" and what will happen next.
Q. I'll give you a quick rundown in a minute! The Tekken series has been a big hit on social networking sites.
Harada D: It was created not by the Tekken team, but by a Tekken lover on the sales team. When I first saw it, I laughed too, but my first impression was "I don't have the talent to make a story" (laughs).
Michael P: I would get angry.
Harada D: This made me understand objectively that I don't have the talent to make narrative games. I can only make action games.
Michael P: I am glad that you made such a video at the time of "Tekken 8". The video featuring Brian Cox, who is famous for the TV drama "Succession," was very well received overseas. In Tekken, each character has his or her own background. I thought it would be difficult for beginners to understand them, so I am very grateful for videos like this that are easy for beginners to understand.
Q. There is a tendency for beginners to feel that fighting games are too difficult to get into, but recent titles have introduced simple control modes. Tekken 8 also has a special style, but do you plan to put more emphasis on simple controls in the future?
Harada D: We would like to expand on the simple controls. We received feedback during the beta test, and I am sure we will continue to receive feedback after the release of the game, so we would like to brush up the game to make it easier for beginners and intermediate players to use.
Harada D: I would like to remind everyone that when "Street Fighter II" was released, everyone from elementary school students to adults were playing the game. When someone was good at a character or someone was really good, it seemed like a high hurdle to overcome. For example, "Tekken 8" has a story mode to make players fall in love with the characters, or to raise AI ghosts to beat other players. I think it is important to lower the hurdle by offering different ways to play, so I would like to put more effort into single player content.
Michael P.: For example, no one would ever look at Michael Jordan and think that basketball is too difficult to play. It may not be fun if you play with someone who is better than you, but it is fun if you play with someone who is similarly skilled. I think it is exactly the same with fighting games, so I would start by throwing away the preconceived notion that fighting games are difficult.
Harada D: The game "Counter Strike" is simple and easy to play, but as you can see when you log in now, you get your head shot off in 3 seconds and that's it (laughs). We think it is important to create a system where people of the same skill level can be matched as much as possible, and that is what we are trying to do.
Q. In "Tekken 8," there is a character like Paul who has a very different appearance.
Harada D: Paul's hair will stand up in "Tekken 9" because we only let his hair down when there is a 4 in the numbering and when the number is a multiple of 4. Next, in "Tekken 12", his hair will be down. Hair goes down all the way from "Tekken 40" to "Tekken 49".
Harada D: For "Tekken 8," we have completely redesigned the models from scratch, but it's not always enough to just make everything new. For example, if the King's mask changes from a jaguar to a rabbit, it's new, but who is it? Who is it? It was difficult to find a balance between keeping the existing image and renewing it.
Q. Rena appeared in "Tekken 8." Will she be an important character that will play a significant role in the future story?
D.: I think she could be. The only thing I didn't calculate was that Rena is not very unique looking from my point of view, and I assumed that people who had finished the story mode would like her. In fact, she became very popular right after she was announced, so I am nervous that fans will be angry if I don't treat her as a popular character in the future (laughs).
Michael P: I always use Kazuya Mishima or Jin Devil, and I think one of their charms is the way they make you feel with their fastest Fu-shinken and other moves. I think Rena is an interesting character because of her agility in addition to those Mishima-like qualities.
Q. "Tekken 7" featured collaborative characters such as Gouki, Noctis, and Negan. Do you have any collaborations in mind for "Tekken 8"?
Harada D: We don't often create games with collaboration as a prerequisite. I think that if the fans are excited, or if we do something like this, new people will come to the game. If there is a good timing or idea for all players, I would like to do it.
Michael P: I heard that you still wanted to bring out Carnell Sanders (laughs).
Harada D: I wanted to bring out Carnell Sanders, but the team was so opposed to it that I almost gave up on it.
Q. The video of Eddie, the first additional character announced for the game, includes motion capture.
Harada D: There is no deep meaning in the direction itself! I was in the middle of making it, so I thought, "Let's show that too!
Q. How do you plan to select additional characters in the future?
Harada D.: This is a difficult question. With "Tekken 7," we had planned to finish the game after the first year or two, but the number of characters has increased in response to the expectations of the fans and the community. This time, too, while we have our own expectations, we would like to listen to the fans and reflect what they want as soon as possible.
Q. Any last words?
Harada D: "Tekken 8" will have an impact not only on existing fans, but also on newcomers to Tekken. In particular, our development team put a lot of effort into the story mode, which is unparalleled in other fighting games, and we have also prepared a player-side story mode called Arcade Quest. When you go online, there is also a place where everyone can get together called the Fight Lounge. We have put a lot of effort into making Tekken content that can be enjoyed in ways other than just fighting, so we hope you will purchase the game.
Michael P: I am sure you have fond memories of playing with your siblings or friends in the past, even in a lebogacha. I think you don't have to know Tekken to really enjoy this title. The reason why GamerBee and I had so much fun playing against each other on stage was because of the special style of play. I hope you will play this game.